


The Tangled Web of Love

by LizardOnIce27



Category: Fall Out Boy, My Chemical Romance
Genre: F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-07-26
Updated: 2013-08-05
Packaged: 2017-12-21 09:54:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,829
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/898914
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LizardOnIce27/pseuds/LizardOnIce27
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After a few months at a new school, Patrick has realized all of his friends are dating the wrong person. Each couple seems to have both members focused on someone else entirely.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

When I started school in Chicago, I didn’t expect to be welcomed to a group of friends. I also didn’t expect to be outed my first day hanging out with them, and really didn’t expect to be accepted for it. Another thing I didn’t expect was to be in the middle of a huge sea of jealousy. But, let’s be honest, I totally expected to be the only single guy.

Pete Wentz is my official best friend, he’s decided that at least and I won’t complain. Pete’s awesome. He does tend to be loud, obnoxious, and highly inappropriate, but that’s Pete. His major flaw right now, is that he’s dating the older brother of the guy he writes shitty love drenched poems about. Why? Well he figures it’ll make him jealous since he’s dating Ray. Mikey is jealous, which is why he’s dating Ray in the first place. He likes Ray, but he doesn’t want to be lonely. Gerard, Mikey’s brother, has an enormous crush on Frank. That guy is even shorter than _me_. He’s with Pete, because that means sex. Their relationship is almost entirely physical. Frank is with Joe, and the only thing they have to talk about is guitars. Frank steals more than a few glances at Gerard as often as he can. Joe has a thing for Andy, but is afraid to cross the line between friends and lovers. Andy is with Bob, because he has the same fear as Joe. Bob doesn’t seem particularly in love with Andy, but I don’t see anyone else he has his eyes on. Ray’s pretty much the same way. I think they’re both a bit happy to be used. They’ll probably end up together eventually. The reason I know for a fact that these relationships aren’t what anyone really wants, is because for what ever reason, they’ve all told me. I really wish they wouldn’t, because it’s extremely hard not to just tell them they’re all being stupid. I suppose I should factor my crush on Bob into the mix.

 

Pete sighs as Mikey walks into the cafeteria. I roll my eyes and take a bite of my sandwich. Bringing lunch from home gets you teased, but it tastes a hell of a lot better than that cafeteria shit they call food. Pete nudges me.

“What am I doing with my life?” he hisses as Mikey walks over.

“Fucking the guy your in love with’s brother?” I mumble.

He scowls.

“Well?” I shrug.

“Hey guys.” Mikey sits with a space between himself and Pete.

I suppress another eye roll and keep eating my lunch.

“Aren’t you s’posed to be eating?” Pete asks.

Mikey shrugs, “I don’t like the shitty food here.”

I hold up my sandwich to make a point and take another bite.

Mikey snorts, “No offense, but I’d rather starve than have my mommy pack my lunch for me.”

I shrug and keep eating, not feeling like explaining that my older brother made it today, but I usually do it myself. Gerard walks over and sits between them, carrying an extra lunch tray and setting it in front of Mikey. Mikey rolls his eyes and nibbles on his food. Eventually everyone walks over and sits, some eating, some not. Bob sits on my left, taking a few chips from me. And the awkward silence isn’t broken until Bob brings up something to make it even more awkward.

“Oh, by the way.” he grabs another chip, “Anders and I broke up.”

“What?” Joe glances at Andy.

They both shrug.

“It just wasn’t working for us.” Andy shrugs, “It’s cool and everything, neither of us are going to have a major freakout or anything.”

“When did that happen?” Gerard raises an eyebrow.

“This weekend, Andy was over playing video games, I paused the game, we talked, then we continued playing and I kicked his ass...in the game.” Bob reaches for another chip and pouts when I swat his hand, “Aw, Patrick I’m hungry.”

“You could ask.” I grin and eat one of the chips.

“May I please consume a few of your mighty potato chips so that I do not starve to death before school ends?”

I snort and hand him the bag.

Bob grins, “I don’t know why you guys pick on Pattycakes for bringing his lunch, it’s good.” 

I elbow his side, “Don’t call me that.”

He winces and rubs his side, “Alright, damn. You have sharp elbows.”

“You don’t seem to mind when your mom calls you Pattycakes.” Pete grins.

I roll my eyes, “Well I did live in her stomach for nine months, I kinda owe her one.”

“Ew...” Mikey pushes his tray away.

Gerard pushes it back, “Nice try.”

“But Gee it’s gross-”

“Then tomorrow bring your lunch. Until then, eat it.” Gerard snaps.

“What the fuck is your problem? Are you bitchy today because Pete hasn’t fucked you in the restroom yet?” Mikey snaps.

“No, you like to weasel out of eating. And you’re just bitchy because-”

I quickly reach over the table and cover Gerard’s mouth, “No.” I don’t move my head until he nods.

Thankfully he decides to shut up for the rest of lunch. Unfortunately Pete bugs me about what he was going to say for the rest of the day.

 

After school, Pete and I hang out with Gerard and Mikey at their house. They seem to be okay with each other now, which is good. Getting in the middle of Gerard and Mikey arguing is probably the dumbest thing you could do. And I keep putting myself in that situation, because I’m an idiot. I guess maybe I shouldn’t have shut Gerard up, then Mikey and Pete could get over their idiocy and get together.

 

“So Bob’s single.” Gerard grins slyly.

“That’s right, he is!” Mikey grins with him, both of them looking at me.

Pete just snorts.

I raise an eyebrow, “Yeah, I was at the lunch table...”

“Aww that’s adorable.” Gerard nudges Mikey, “He’s pretending he doesn’t care.”

“Too bad we’ve seen that massive crush since, what? Patrick’s first day here?” Mikey grins wider.

“That and you’ve admitted it to me.” Pete shrugs.

I blush and shake my head, “I-I don’t know what a-any of you are t-talking about. S-So we were supposed to st-study.”

“Oh, Bob’s coming over too.” Gerard shrugs in a nonchalant sort of way that kind of makes me want to break his neck.

“Oh?” I hope my voice isn’t as high pitched as it sounds, “Well, okay.”

The three of them burst into laughter.

“V-Very funny. Y-You’ve had your laugh, n-now can we please study? I-I have a test in m-math tomorrow and-”

“We know.” Gerard and Mikey say in unison.

“But you see...” Gerard starts.

“That’s why Bob is coming over.” Mikey finishes.

“Seriously the twinspeak is a little creepy. Especially since you aren’t twins.” I mumble.

The knock on the door makes me jump, “Y-You weren’t kidding?”

“Of course not. Bob is great at math.” Gerard grins and goes to get the door.

“I hate you all.” I hit myself in the head with my mathbook.

“Hey guys.” Bob smiles and walks in behind Gerard, sitting on the floor beside me, “Gee said you needed some help with math?”

I blush and nod, looking down.

“Aw, don’t be embarrassed.” Bob squeezes my shoulder and smiles, “Not everyone gets math easily.”

Mikey, Pete, and Gerard sit on the couch, watching with amused smirks on their faces. All the jerks are missing is popcorn.

“So what’s your test going to be on?”

“Th-This chapter....” I flip through the pages and hand him the book.

“Oh, this stuff is easy.” he grins, “Really it’s not as difficult as it seems.”

“Seems pretty difficult considering I keep getting the answers wrong.” I grumble.

“You’re over thinking, is all.” he copies down one of the equations and breaks down how to solve it. He shows me a couple more times, before writing down another one and having me solve it.

I glance at the equation and bite my lip. He made it look so _easy_. After a few minutes I hand over the notebook with my answer. He looks it over and grins, before giving me a few more to solve. I get each one right. We pack up our stuff and head out the door.

“Hey Bobert, mind giving ‘Trick a ride home?” Pete asks, “You live on the same street and all....”

Bob shakes his head and smiles, “It’s cool.”

I throw Pete a glare as I get into Bob’s car. His response is only a grin as he gets into his own.

“So, you think you’ll be okay on the test tomorrow?” he asks as he pulls out of the driveway.

“I-I think I’ll be okay. You helped a ton, thanks.” I smile shyly.

“No problem.” he smiles, “Anytime you need math help, I’m here. I owe you for stealing half your lunch every day.”

“I-I don’t mind.”

He smiles and keeps driving. I can’t help but glance over at him every now and then. He pulls into his driveway and laughs at the confused look on my face.

“You just live down the road, and I could use a walk before bed.” he shrugs and unbuckles his seatbelt.

I get out of the car and look down, hoping my hat will somewhat hide the blush, “You don’t h-have to walk with me, I’m just down the road, like you said.”

“It’s no problem.” he smiles and throws his arm around my shoulder as we start to walk, “I can give you a ride to school in the morning, if you want. Riding with Pete and the Ways has to get nauseating sometimes.”

“I-It’s worse when they pick Ray up. I feel suffocated, not just by the fact that the backseat was meant for two people, not three, but by the cloud of awkwardness... I-I feel a little b-bad for Ray he’s got to see the way Pete and Mikey look at each other...”

“He does.” Bob shrugs, “He just doesn’t have the guts to ask this girl out in Chemistry.”

I sigh, “Is their any relationship in our group that actually wants to be with the person they're with? I mean, Pete wants Mikey, Mikey wants Pete. Gerard wants Frank, Frank wants Gerard. Joe wants Andy-”

“And Andy wants Joe.” Bob cuts in, “Yeah, I know. And Ray wants a girl in Chemistry.”

I roll my eyes, “Our friends are kind of idiots.”

“You left me out.” Bob raises an eyebrow.

I shrug, “You didn’t seem like, in love with Andy, but you also don’t seem to have a thing for anyone else.”

Bob chuckles, “Oh Patrick, as observant as you are, you missed something.”

I frown and look up at him, confused, “Apparently I did. Is that why you’re so good in math? Gotta thing for you math teacher?”

He laughs and shakes his head, “She’s like 900, and no. I’ve just always been good at math.”

I smile and walk with him up to the porch, “Okay, thanks for um, giving me a ride, walking with me, and making it possible for me to pass the math test....”

He nods and smiles, “Patrick?”

“Hmm?” I look up to him.

“I uh, if you ever want to hang out after school...” he shrugs, “I mean, I’ll help you with math but I just meant, you could get away from Pete’s constant ‘Mikey this, Mikey that’.. if you want.”

I smile, “How about tomorrow?”

He grins, “Sounds good.”

“I better get inside before mom starts wondering where I’ve gone...” I smile and hug him before unlocking the door.

“I’ll, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

I smile, “Night, Bob.”

He smiles and waves as I step inside, “Night...Patrick.”

I close the door and make a mental note to bring an extra bag of chips to school tomorrow.


	2. The Domino Effect

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Bob and Andy break up, it's only a matter of time before the rest of the relationships tumble over.

After I get dressed and brush my teeth, I go downstairs to make my lunch. A turkey sandwich, two sandwich bags full of potato chips, and a pudding cup. I shove everything into a brown paper sack, before shrugging and grabbing an extra pudding cup, just in case Bob wants it. The phone rings, so I run over to it, trying not to wake Kevin.

“Hello?”

“Hey ‘Trick. I’m about to leave the house-”

“Oh shit, I forgot to tell you, don’t pick me up.” I hold the phone between my ear and shoulder as I put two poptarts into the toaster.

“What? Why not?” he asks.

“Bob’s giving me a ride.” I reply casually, thankful he can’t see the deep red I can feel my face turning.

“Awww.” he chuckles, “Well I’ll see you at school then.”

A knock on the door makes me jump, “See ya!” I hang up and set the phone on the counter, running to the door. I open it and ignore the butterflies stirring in my stomach as a sleepy Bob walks inside.

“Morning.” he manages to say after a yawn.

“Morning.” I close the door behind him and walk into the kitchen.

He follows me, rubbing his eyes.

“Did you just wake up?”

He nods and covers a yawn with his hand.

“Do you want coffee? I don’t really drink it because it makes me _way_ too hyper, but I could make some.”

“ _That’s_ what I forgot.” he smiles, “It’s fine, if you aren’t going to drink any then it’d just be a waste I’m not a Way, I only need one cup.”

I snort, “And they need about five coffee pots, a piece.”

“The money they must spend on coffee.” he grins.

“Not to mention they sweet talk Pete into going by Starbucks every morning.” I grab the pop tarts one they pop out of the toaster, “Want one?”

“Sure.” he smiles and takes one of the poptarts, “What kind?”

“Strawberry.” I answer before taking a bite.

He takes a bite and finishes chewing before saying, “Think we have enough time for a Starbucks run?”

I nod, still chewing. He licks the crumbs off his lips before taking a bite, making me blush and duck my head down to avoid staring at his lips. We finish our poptarts in silence before I shove my lunch into my backpack and put on my shoes.

“I’ll be right back, I gotta wake Kevin up.”

Bob nods and waits downstairs.

I run up to Kevin’s room and knock on the door, “Hey, you up?”

He opens the door, “Yeah, you and Pete not being obnoxiously loud disturbed my sleep.” he grins.

I blush and shrug, “Pete’s not here, Bob’s giving me a ride.”

Kevin raises an eyebrow, “And you’re blushing... aww does Patrick have a crush?”

I hit him with the door, “Shut up!” before running back downstairs, yelling to Bob, “RUN!”

Bob’s eyes widen as he opens the door and hurries out, holding it open for me. I run through and lock it before slamming it and grabbing his wrist, “ _Run!_ ” 

We hurry to his car and get in. I lean back to lock both back doors and the passenger door, before almost tackling him to lock the driver’s side door.

He laughs, “What?”

“I hit him with the door, please drive far, far away from here.” I squeak as Kevin opens the door.

“Drive!”

Bob just laughs and points to Kevin, holding my backpack. He walks towards the car as I sink lower in the seat.

“I-I don’t need my backpack.”

Bob snorts and unlocks his door before stepping out and getting my backpack. He and Kevin laugh as Bob walks back to the car and gets inside.

“Wh-What’s funny?”

“He said you act as if he beats the shit out of you constantly.”

“Well no, but-”

“And he will get you back for the door.”

I groan.

 

He pulls into the drive-through at Starbucks and waits on the car in front of us, “You want anything? I mean, they have more than coffee and it’s kind of cold.”

 

“I left my wallet at home.” I shrug, “So it’s cool.”

“That isn’t what I asked.” he smiles, “What do you want?”

“I-I like hot chocolate.” I blush and shrug.

He grins and pats my head, “Good boy.”

I scrunch my nose and fix my beanie.

He chuckles and orders, pulling his wallet out when he gets to the window.

 

Bob hurries over to me in the hall before lunch, “Just to warn you, the domino effect is in progress.”

I raise an eyebrow, “What?”

He wraps his arm around my shoulders and leads me to a less crowded hall, “Andy and I broke up, right?”

I nod, “Yesterday...”

“So, that was the first domino to fall-”

“I understand what domino effect means, please continue.” I cut him off.

He grins, “Right, so apparently last night Andy and Joe were hanging out and Andy finally told him how he feels. And now Joe and Frank split.”

I snort, “Are we gossiping Bob?”

He rolls his eyes, “Point being, how much you wanna bet the next domino is Pete and Gee?”

“Unless Gee or Frank say something...” I shrug, “Gerard seems content enough with constant....” I blush, “You know, then to risk saying something...”

“Right, but Frank isn’t.” Bob points out, “And since Joe broke things off he has nothing to distract him.”

I shrug, “I guess.”

“And then it’ll be Ray and Mikey, and then Ray will continue his infatuation with Chemistry girl-”

“You think he’ll ask her out?”

Bob shakes his head, “Nah, she’ll do it.”

“How do you know?”

“There is definitely... _Chemistry_ between them.” Bob snorts, “Plus she’s a bit more forward than he is.”

“PATRICK!” Pete runs in our direction.

“Sorry Bob, diva crisis.” I roll my eyes and walk over to him, “What?”

Bob chuckles and heads to the cafeteria.

“NO BOB!” Pete grabs his sleeve and pulls him back over to the empty part of the hall, “I need you both!”

I raise an eyebrow, “Need a second and third opinion on your hair?”

“Don’t be a dick.” Pete snaps, “Wait, is something wrong with it?”

Bob silently holds his hand up for a highfive, which I return, grinning.

“No Pete, your hair is fine, what’s up?”

“I just walked into the bathroom and-”

“Pete I don’t need more details on your body.” I cover my ears.

He grabs my arms and pulls them down, “NO! Frank and Gerard were like, _making out_!”

My eyes widen, “Oh...”

“Oh!?” he shoves my arms down, “All you can say is OH!?”

“I, sorry I.... in the bathroom, really? That’s so unsanitary...”

He smacks my arm.

“Ow!”

“Not the current problem!”

“Right, sorry. What did you say?” I rub my arm.

“Nothing... I just walked out.” he bites his lip.

“Did they see you?”

He snorts, “No, they were too busy sucking face.”

“You should probably mention you saw them...” I shrug a shoulder.

“I had to tell you first.” He throws his arms around me.

I hug him back, trying to stand properly, “Well lunch is gonna be awkward.”

He lets go, a dark look in his eyes, before grabbing my arm and pulling me into the cafeteria, Bob trailing a little behind. He drags me to the table, where Gerard and Frank are sitting on opposite sides.

“WHAT THE FUCK!?” he yells, tightening his grip on my wrist.

“Ow. Ow. Pete, _Ow!_ ” I yank my arm away.

“Is abuse normal from Pete?” Bob mutters low enough so that only I hear. I nod.

“What the fuck, what?” Mikey raises an eyebrow.

Pete doesn’t answer, just glares at Gerard.

“What are you talking about, Pete-”

“Do not play dumb with me, Gerard Way.” Pete snaps, “Think back about five minutes, I’ll even tell you where you were. The bathroom.” He turns his glare to Frank, who sinks down in his seat.

“You saw that?” Gerard asks, blushing.

Pete moves towards him, but I grab him back quickly, “LET ME GO PATRICK!” he struggles, “The first fucking thing out of your mouth should is ‘You saw that?’! I think something more like, ‘I’m a ginormous douche’, or perhaps ‘I’M SORRY’ would be a bit more fitting you fucking asshole!”

“I didn’t think you’d be so pissed, Pete.. I mean, we’re only fucking-”

I tighten my grip around Pete, expecting the worst.

“Let go Patrick.” he says calmly.

I let go, but keep a hold on his arm, just in case.

“We’re only fucking? You know what, in general yeah. But we also kissed and cuddled and talked about things, personal shit...” he shakes his head, “But even if it was, just fucking.... as your friend I’m hurt that instead of telling me, instead of letting me know it was off, you and Frank sit on opposite sides of the table, pretending nothing happened, planning not to tell me. It’s good to find out that our friendship wasn’t calculated into this. Thank you for showing me just how fucked up people can be.” he wipes his eyes roughly and looks to me, “I’m gonna skip the rest of the day... I can’t...” he shakes his head.

I nod and hug him tightly, “I’ll walk you out.”

Pete and I walk out the door, him sniffling ever so often.

“I know it hurt you, Pete. And for what it’s worth, I’m sorry...” I rub his shoulder.

He smiles weakly, “Everyone else just thinks I’m heartless... thanks ‘Trick for giving a shit to see that I’m not.”

I hug him again and nod into his shoulder, “I’ll have Bob drop me by your house after school, okay?”

He smiles, “I’d like that.”

 

I walk back into the cafeteria, deciding I should just not talk to Gerard for the rest of the day. I can’t help but be pissed at him. I sit down and my anger is instantly ignited.

“He’s just being dramatic.” I overhear Gerard mumble to Frank, “He just wants the drama, cause a big scene. It’s not like he actually gave a shit about me, or anyone really.” I clench my fists, “I mean honestly, Pete’ll go fuck around with other people now and be fine. He’s too selfish to be capable of love.”

Anger clouds my mind, and the next few seconds are blank, but when I come back to reality, Gerard is on the floor, clutching his bleeding nose, and Bob is holding me back.

“What the fuck, Patrick?” Frank asks, helping Gerard up.

“You’re a dick.” I find myself saying, “And you’re pathetically trying to excuse what you did by talking shit about Pete?” I try to shove Bob away, “Fuck you, Gerard. If anyone’s selfish right now, it’s you. Pete might be a little arrogant but you fucking win in that category. So arrogant, so selfish you couldn’t even apologize! I get you’ve harbored feelings for Frank for-fucking-ever, but have a little common fucking courtesy.” 

Gerard opens his mouth, but Bob steps in, “Look, how about we take you home and let you chill out okay?”

“And maybe get him some midol, serious fucking PMS going on.” Gerard snaps.

I snort and yell behind my shoulder as Bob leads me away, “Don’t be a spiteful little bitch just because you can’t take a punch!”

 

When we get to Bob’s car, he’s almost falling over from laughter.

“What’s fucking funny?” I ask, still fuming.

“You’re so feisty.” he laughs, “And it’s _adorable_!”

I roll my eyes, then blush deeply, “Oh god.”

He starts the car, still cracking up, “What?”

“I just punched Gerard...” I rub my sore hand.

“You punched him and knocked him out of the chair.” Bob bursts into more laughter.

“I-It’s not funny! Fuck.”

“Dude, he had it coming.”

I sigh, “Fuck. Can you drop me off at Pete’s? I just, I promised I’d have you drop me off after school and-”

He nods, “That’s cool.”

“Thanks Bob...”

“Can I ask you something?” he asks timidly.

“Sure.”

“Do you..like Pete? I only ask because, well you just punched Gerard.”

“I love Pete, but not like that. And I got angry...he, he just talked about Pete like that...”

He nods and keeps his eyes on the road, “Okay, so it’s more like a brotherly love.”

“Exactly. That fucking asshole.” I seethe, “Turn around. One punch wasn’t enough!”

He reaches over and grabs my hand, squeezing it gently, “Honestly I think it was. And you need to calm down, okay?”

I blush and look down at our hands, “K-Kay.”

 

He pulls into Pete’s driveway and unbuckles his seat belt, “Think he’d mind me hanging out?”

“No but, you can go back to school if you want, I mean, I’m fine...” I shrug.

“Hmm... go back to school or hang out with you and Pete...tough decision.” he rolls his eyes playfully, “Plus I might punch Gerard if the rest of his day is spent shit talking you too.”

We get out of the car and walk up to the door.

“You’d punch him?” I ask quietly.

“Of course. He totally deserved that punch.” he grins as Pete opens the door.

Pete raises an eyebrow, “School ended early?”

“For us.” Bob grins widely.

“What happened?” he moves to let us in.

“You tell him...” I plop onto the couch.

“Patrick punched Gerard.” Bob dissolves into more laughter.

Pete’s eyes widen, “You did what?”

“It was amazing, man.” Bob manages to keep himself calm enough to talk, “Gerard went on a rant about you, mean shit. And Patrick punched him so hard he fell out of his chair. And when I was dragging Patrick out Gerard said to get some midol from him, and Patrick was like ‘Don’t be a whiny bitch because you can’t take a punch.’” Bob laughs, “It was fucking great.”

“I think I said something about him being arrogant too.” I shrug, “I didn’t completely come to my senses until we got outside and Bob was laughing his ass off.”

“I wasn’t the only one laughing! Mikey was hiding his face in a book to hide his laughter. And Andy and Joe were almost crying from it.”

Pete hugs me and grins, “Aww you punched someone for me, my hero!” he kisses my cheek.

I shove him away, “Shut up. And Joe’s laughter is invalid, he’s always stoned so he laughs at everything. By the way..” I pull my lunch from my backpack and toss the chips to Bob.

Bob grins, “My own bag of chips? This day couldn’t get any better.” I hold up the extra pudding cup, making his grin widen, “I stand corrected!”

Pete grins and steals a few chips from me as I eat my sandwich, “I fucking love that short fuse of yours, Stump.”

“Back off the chips or you’ll be next, Wentz.” I say playfully.


	3. The Empty Personal Bubble

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Patrick, Pete, and Mikey stay the night at Bob's.

To keep the ride to school peaceful, at least, we decided that Pete and I will ride together, and Bob will pick up Mikey and Gerard. I make my lunch, adding two extra bags of chips and pudding cups, as Kevin starts the coffee pot.

“So that blonde guy is Bob?” he asks, leaning against the counter.

I stuff everything into a brown paper back and nod, blushing lightly.

“Is he picking you up today?”

I shake my head, “No Pete’s picking me up today. I sort of...punched Pete’s boyfriend, or ex boyfriend yesterday... and Pete is normally his ride too so instead Bob’s gonna pick them up and...”

“Wait, you punched someone?” his eyes widen.

I nod and bite my lip, “Yeah.. and now I’m down a few friends probably...”

“What’d he do?” Kevin grins, “What lit that short fuse of yours?”

I sigh, “He and Frank made out in the bathroom, and Pete saw them. When Pete confronted them, he was a total dick so Pete decided to skip the rest of the day. Then Gerard wouldn’t stop saying awful things about Pete and...”

Kevin chuckles, “Well he deserved it for being stupid enough to run his mouth around you.”

“Right?” Pete grins after letting himself in, grabbing a pack of poptarts.

“Don’t tell mom, okay?” I bite my lip.

Kevin shrugs, “When would I tell her, Christmas? About the only time she cares to contact us at all.”

“I know but, I don’t want her thinking you’re a bad example or anything... you’re easier to live with than her since she hates me now.” I frown.

Kevin squeezes my shoulder, “She’s a narrow minded cow, that isn’t your fault.”

Pete frowns, “Wait what?”

I sigh, “When I decided to come out, she didn’t take it well. She almost completely stopped talking to me... so eventually I called Kevin and moved in with him....”

“Aw..” Pete hugs me, “Why didn’t you tell me?”

I shrug, “Don’t like talking about it.”

He nods, “Well maybe if you told Bob you’d get a sympathy kiss.” he winks.

I blush deeply and shove him playfully, “Fuck off.”

Kevin snorts.

 

Pete drives into the school parking lot and parks with a sigh, “Today’s going to be awful, isn’t it?”

“Before I punched Gerard it was going to be awful...now it’s going to be whatever word means worse than that.”

He shrugs, “Oh well, I have you. Everyone else can fuck off.”

“Except Mikey.” I roll my eyes playfully.

“Well, naturally.” he grins.

I sigh, “I told myself not to meddle, but... Ray’s into some girl in his Chemistry class.”

Pete’s grin widens, “Oh really?”

I nod, “Well that’s what Bob said. But ‘girl in Chemistry’ is kind of vague..”

“I’m in that Chemistry class too, I’ll figure it out.” he shrugs.

I snort, “What are you gonna do? Tell them to get together so Mikey is all yours?”

“Hmm... maybe.” Pete grins as we sit on the hood of his car, waiting for school to begin.

Bob walks over, with Mikey, Gerard, and Frank close behind.

“Good morning.” Bob sits beside me.

“Morning.” I mumble, staring at the ground.

“Guys I was a total dick yesterday...” I look up to see Gerard mumbling, Mikey pokes his shoulder to make him continue, with a sigh, “And I’m sorry. I should have talked to you about it Pete. And I honestly planned to, after school. I just didn’t want to make lunch awkward and well that backfired on me... twice.” he glances towards me.

“And?” Mikey pokes Frank’s shoulder.

Frank glares at Mikey before speaking, “And I suppose I shouldn’t have kissed him while you two were still together.”

“So am I supposed to apologize for punching you?” I cut in, “Because if so let me be straightforward with this: I’m not sorry, at all. And you completely deserved it.”

Gerard flushes, “I did deserve that, yeah. I was really pissed at first... then I realized that if sweet Patrick Stump punched me, I must’ve really fucked up.”

Pete nods, “I think I need a few days to deal with it, but I appreciate you talking to me about it...” he grins and throws his arm around my shoulders, “Plus Patrick knocking the shit out of you helps quite a bit.”

Gerard snorts, “I can’t get the smell of blood out of my nose, jerk.”

“You made him _bleed_? I fucking love you!” Pete grins.

Mikey giggles and sits on Pete’s other side as Frank and Gerard walk away, “Frank’s gonna drive him home, so can I ride with you?”

Pete shrugs, “Sure. Hey ‘Trick we should have a horror movie marathon.”

I groan, “I don’t like horror movies.”

“Aww, do they scare you?” Bob chuckles.

“No, they just make him feel awkward because, y’know how when the person does something stupid and you yell at the screen for them to stop?” Mikey and Bob nod, so he continues, “Well Patrick yells to the killer where they’re hiding.”

“In my defense, if they’re stupid enough to hide behind a tree, they deserve to die.” I mumble.

Bob laughs, “I have a few movies at my place and my mom’s leaving for the weekend. We could watch some there. And you guys could just stay the night.”

Mikey nods, “And I could bring a few. Gee and I have a massive horror collection.”

“So after school I can drive to Mikey’s so he can get movies and clothes, then to my house for clothes. And since Patrick and Bobert live on the same street Bob can take him home and-Ooh! We should order pizza!”

I snort.

“So just the four of us?” Mikey asks.

Bob shrugs, “Andy and Joe are occupied sucking each other’s face, so are Frank and Gee and considering that situation is all awkward...You could ask Ray if he wanted to come though.”

Mikey shrugs, “The four of us sounds fine.”

Bob raises an eyebrow, but doesn’t push the subject, “Alright then, sounds good.”

 

When Bob and I walk into the house, it’s silent, even though Kevin’s car is outside. I shrug, assuming he’s asleep. We go upstairs to my bedroom so I can pack some clothes. I grab a shirt from the closet and see Bob duck out of the corner of my eye. Before I can ask him why, a water balloon hits the back of my head. I gasp as the water goes down my back and turn to see Kevin grinning, and tossing another. I squeak and duck down, just barely escaping it.

“I thought you were asleep!” I hold up the shirt to block myself from more water balloons.

“That was the point.” Kevin laughs.

“Alright, you got me back!”

He chuckles and walks in, “Packing clothes?”

I stand up and nod, “I’m staying the night at Bob’s.”

“Oh yeah?” he looks to Bob who nods.

“With a couple friends.” I roll my eyes at the smirk pulling at Kevin’s lips.

“Alright, well have fun.” he grabs my teddy bear from the bed, “Think you’ll need this?”

I blush and snatch the bear, “No!”

“Aww...” Bob grins, “He has a little bowtie.”

“Sh-Shut up.” I blush more.

Bob chuckles, “I won’t laugh if you want to bring-”

“I don’t.” I sit the bear on the bed and stuff my clothes into a bag.

 

“No! Not under the bed, your foot’s sticking out!” Mikey shouts.

“SHE’S HIDING UNDER THE BED STAB HER!” I scream at the television.

Bob and Pete laugh as I sigh in disappointment when she escapes.

“I thought you were joking!” Bob grins at Pete.

He shakes his head, “Nope, Pattycakes roots for the killer.”

“Someone has to.” I shrug.

Mikey’s eyes widen, “Seen a shrink lately, buddy?”

“I passed my psych evaluation, actually.” I pick up a slice of pizza and bite into it.

“Psych evaluation?” Pete raises an eyebrow.

I nod and chew before replying, “My mom was hoping my attraction to guys was some fixable bit of insanity. Of course, I’m probably not all that sane, you’ve just gotta tell the shrink what they want to hear.”

Bob frowns, “I know some parents don’t take it well but that’s ridiculous...”

I shrug, “I live with Kevin now so I don’t have to deal with it. BEHIND THE DOOR! STAB HER-YES!”

Bob hugs me from the side, “I don’t think you’re insane.”

I blush, “Th-Thanks...” I lean into the hug, not wanting to pull away. He doesn’t seem too eager to let go as he rests his head on my shoulder. I shyly nibble on my pizza, no longer focusing on the movie. 

“Can I have a bite?” Bob asks.

“I-I can get you a slice-”

“Only if you’re afraid of my cooties.” he grins, “Cause you’re warm and I don’t wanna let go...”

I blush deeper and hold up the pizza so he can take a bite. He grins and takes a bite, chewing as he pulls back.

“There’s got to be a way to make that more comfortable.” he chuckles.

“You could always pull him into your lap.” Pete grins.

I take a bite of pizza to avoid speaking, blushing deeply.

Mikey giggles and moves into Pete’s lap, “You’re right that is comfortable.”

Pete rolls his eyes, but I don’t miss the smile pulling at his lips, “You’re taller than me so now I can’t see. If either of us should be lapsitting, I should be on _your_ lap.”

Mikey moves back over to his seat, “Alright then, come on.”

Pete bites his lip, “I’m not really sure that’s such a good idea, Mikes.”

“Why’s that?” Mikey challenges. 

“Well I just...that’s sort of um... a couple-y type thing, you know?” Pete shrugs, trying to be nonchalant.

“Your point?” Mikey crosses his arms, “Unless everyone’s lying and you’re really not into me.”

“Well there’s Ray-wait what?”

“Ray and I kinda...decided we’re friends.” he shrugs, “Plus he may be bi, but he’s a lot more into girls.”

“So...” Pete raises an eyebrow.

“So, get your ass in my lap unless you have a problem with it.” Mikey shrugs.”

“Nope, no problem.” Pete climbs onto Mikey’s lap.

I snort and mumble, “Last domino.”

Bob smiles and opens his mouth as if he’s about to say something, then bites his lip instead and continues watching the rest of the movies, keeping his distance from me. Once we’re all too tired to keep our eyes open any longer, Bob pulls out the bed part of the couch and offers to let Mikey and Pete sleep on it since it seems they’re together now.

“But I swear if I hear moaning I’m going to get ice cold water, maybe put ice in it, and I will pour it on you both.” Bob warns.

Pete smirks, “I’ll keep my hands to myself if he does.”

Bob rolls his eyes and looks to me, “If you’d like to be spared of their...couple-y, crap you can share my bed with me... it’s pretty big so I won’t be in your space or anything...”

I frown slighly, but nod, wondering why after cuddling me and sharing my pizza he’s emphasizing space between us. Pete grabs my arm and pulls me into the kitchen.

“What’s that about?” he whispers.

“I don’t know..” I frown, “One minute he says he doesn’t want to let go of me and now he’s hardly _looking_ at me. Did I do something wrong?”

“Of course not, ‘Trick. Maybe he’s just worried you don’t want him in your space. Be extra cuddly?”

I shrug, “I dunno.”

“Can’t hurt.” he offers before peeking into the livingroom, then jumping up and down happily, “I know you’re kind of bummed so the timing is bad but _Mikey_!”

I grin at him, “Please try not to have sex, at least not here.”

“No promises.” he winks.

 

I don’t think this could feel any more awkward. I’m on the side of the bed nearest the wall, and Bob is close to falling off the bed. I bite my lip. If I say something, I could make things worse. But I really don’t like Bob being distant from me suddenly. I make up my mind and grab his wrist, tugging him closer. He hesitates before moving over a little.

“I’m not going to bite you.” I frown.

“I-I know.” he scoots back a little.

“No.” I tug on his arm, “Get away from the edge or you’ll end up falling off. What the hell is wrong with being so close to me? I know I haven’t showered since this morning but do I really smell that bad?”

“N-No Patrick-”

“Then _what_ is it?” I frown.

“I just feel like I crossed the line earlier... I didn’t want to make you uncomfortable.” he frowns as well.

“That was fine, but this? You getting as far away from me without falling off the bed? That makes me uncomfortable. I understand I’m not attractive and I don’t expect you to like fall in love with me, but I don’t understand what’s so hard about being close to me. Are you going to start avoiding me next? Because I don’t... I don’t want that. If I’m getting irritating just tell me.” I look up to him with pleading eyes.

“Where did the falling in love part come from?” he raises an eyebrow.

“I just meant, like...I meant...just, I’m not asking you to cuddle with me, is what I meant.”

“But what if that’s what I want?” he asks softly.

“Then by all means, cuddle away.” I look into his eyes.

“Well when you put it that way..” he moves closer and pulls me into his arms.

I blush and take off my glasses, reaching over him to put them on the night stand before burying my face in his shoulder.

“Patrick?” he whispers.

“Hmm?”

“Two questions.”

“Okay.” I look up to him.

“One, Do you hear moaning?” he scowls.

I snort, “You don’t want the answer, next question.”

“How... opposed would you be to me kissing you?” he bites his lip.

“Not at all.”


End file.
